Got a GoPro? GoPro Studio 2.0 might be the best way to get your footage into FCPX

So how do you get your GoPro footage into Final Cut Pro X at the moment? Import from the card and convert? Quick, but not the best as the new GoPro Studio 2 application does a lot more.

We have to admit that we just suck our footage straight off the card into FCPX and let it do the conversion to ProRes 422. A few days ago, GoPro announced Studio 2, an application that prepares the footage before importing it into your NLE of choice. We thought this is an unnecessary step, but after watching a demo on the very flash GoPro stand (every stand should have a Formula 1 car!), we think this method is probably the best route to take with GoPro footage.

So why use the application?

1) If you shoot Protune then the app will convert the footage into the Cineform codec and keep the high 10bit rate. Importing straight from the GoPro into FCPX and not using the app can result in lower quality video with artefacts.

2) Non-destructive colour correction can be applied to the footage. Presets can be applied and 'looks' copied and pasted from different projects.

3) This footage then gets imported into FCPX and as long as you don't optimise, the footage stays 'live'. By this we mean that if you adjust the colour correction in GoPro Studio 2 and save, this is automatically reflected in FCPX. So when it comes to grading a show across multiple editors, one person could grade the entire set of GoPro footage and this would be consistent across all timelines. We did the update a few times on the stand and it's instant, no re-importing, no relinking.

So the Cineform codec isn't on the list of supported codecs for FCPX.? Correct, but this forum post may clear things up.

4) The Studio app has a built in fisheye fixer. Yes people are paying money for plugins for this to be done in FCPX, when the free version of the app will do it for you. GoPro has done all the maths for you, no approximations or tweaked bulge filters in Motion to tinker with. The application reads the metadata from the camera and knows which field of view and frame size was used. Click one button and it's fixed and precise. The free app will zoom to lose the edges, the paid apps will show the curved edges which will need to be masked off or the footage zoomed.

5) Should you shoot a timelapse on a GoPro, it will automatically put the images into an exportable movie.

As you can see, there is a lot more to the application. The template themes idea is cool and will appeal to the user who wants to edit their footage down to a short presentation with graphics without having to go through an NLE. It could become the easiest way to get your cat videos on YouTube! Joking aside, we know many users who will use this path to edit their GoPro footage together. The app comes with two preloaded templates, but there are a further nine to download from the website. Each has prebuilt cuts to music, speed effects and titles.

Also notch one more up on the FCPX count on the stands.

The app is available in three flavours. The free version will do all the colour correction, fisheye fixing and, should you want to, templating. A Premium version at $299 supports more cameras and a Pro version at $999 will do multicamera and prep the files for 3D editing. We can only find the free GoPro Studio 2 app on the website at the moment.

Don't forget the free wifi app that can control a huge bank of GoPros Hero3s!